Delegated Grading – Why You Shouldn’t Do It

Every once in awhile, a faculty member stumbles over the “delegated grading” feature in the Blackboard Assignment options. The name seems simple enough; however it adds a layer of complexity that many faculty might wish to avoid. Delegated grading is used when you have multiple Graders or Teaching Assistants and you want to designate one specific person to grade a particular assignment. Another instance is when you have a merged course or groups and one person is assigned to grade each section/group within your course.

Sounds simple enough. What most faculty don’t realize is that the grades TAs and Graders assign are in a sort-of “draft mode” and require the Instructor to then “reconcile” the grades before they flow into the Grade Center. The bottom line is Instructors will have to go back and review the work done by the Graders and either change the grade or submit it as is. If your intent was to have the grades go straight into the Grade Center, this is not the tool for you.

Complete instructions on delegated grading can be found on the Blackboard Instructor Help Site (https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Assignments/040_Grade_Assignments/030_Delegated_Grading) or view this video on Anonymous and Delegated Grading (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0h9Py2kH3I).